Education

Massachusetts once again has been ranked as one of the best places for education and one of the best places to raise children. Unfortunately, not every student has equal access to critical resources. Small towns in particular struggle when State imposed regulations take a disproportionate amount of the school budget.

As the only candidate in this race who was a teacher and taught K-6 for 12 years I am uniquely qualified to address issues of education.

20 years ago the US was ranked as one of the best nations for public education but we have now fallen to 27th place. This disinvestment in our future is already having catastrophic consequences for our future and competitiveness in a global economy. I support universal PreK-16 as a way to help. Our children were very premature and early intervention has given them critical tools.

Too many working families are struggling due to the lack of affordable childcare and this often results in reducing job opportunities for parents (disproportionately women) and often means children may not have access to enriching educational opportunities during critical stages of development. Passing the Fair Share Amendment would certainly be a step in the right direction, and I was disappointed to see Cape Ann’s current representative vote against this.